Dior sponsors two exhibitions at the Kyotographie International Photography Festival in Kyoto
Dior is deepening its longstanding relationship with photography and emerging artists through its participation in the 2026 edition of the Kyotographie International Photography Festival, where it will support two exhibitions by Lebohang Kganye and Momo Nakagawa.
The 14th edition of the Kyoto-based festival runs from April 18 to May 17 and places a particular focus on South Africa’s contemporary art scene. Dior’s involvement underscores its ongoing commitment to fostering new voices in photography, a strategy that has been central to its cultural programming in recent years.
Kganye, who served on the jury of the Dior Photography and Visual Arts Prize for Young Talents in Arles last year, will present her work at the historic Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. Known for combining photography, video, and installation, the South African artist explores the intersection of personal memory and collective history.
Her exhibition will feature a series of works including Ke Lefa Laka: Her-Story, which revisits family archives through reenactment; Mohlokomedi wa Tora, which examines the imprint of memory on space; and Keep the Light Faithfully, inspired by lighthouse keepers and narratives of solitude and transmission. The scenography will incorporate washi paper, referencing the toiles traditionally used in haute couture, creating a dialogue between Dior’s fashion heritage and Kganye’s visual language.
In parallel, Parfums Christian Dior will support an exhibition by Kyoto-based artist Momo Nakagawa as part of the KG+ satellite program. Curated by Kganye, the exhibition, titled Clonal Images, presents large-scale collages informed by science fiction and themes of human adaptation, imagining future forms of existence shaped by space colonization.
Nakagawa, who began her career in fashion and music before turning to photography, was also a finalist in the most recent Dior Photography and Visual Arts Prize, further linking the initiative to the house’s broader ecosystem for emerging talent.
Dior’s involvement in Kyotographie marks its fifth year collaborating with the festival, reinforcing its cultural ties to Japan — a relationship that dates back to founder Christian Dior’s engagement with the country in the 1950s and continues through recent initiatives, including the house’s pre-fall 2025 show staged in Kyoto.
Through these exhibitions, Dior continues to position itself at the intersection of fashion and visual culture, using its platform to support artistic practices that engage with memory, identity, and the evolving language of image-making.